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Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry

 

Professor Tuomas Knowles

Professor of Physical Chemistry and Biophysics

1920 Professor of Physical Chemistry

Our research

We study the physical and chemical aspects of the behaviour of biopolymers and other soft systems. Much of our work has been focused on the physical aspects underlying the self-assembly of protein molecules. Self-organisation is the driving force generating complex matter in nature, and the process by which the machinery providing functionality in living systems is assembled. The goal of our research is to understand the physical and chemical factors which control the structures and dynamics of biomolecular assemblies, and the connections between the nanoscale characteristics of the component molecules and the physical properties of large-scale assemblies and their behaviour on a mesoscopic to macroscopic scale. The techniques used in our laboratory include biosensors, optical lithography, microfluidic devices and scanning probe microscopy and spectroscopy. We work both with natural and synthetic polymers and our interests range from fundamental chemical physics to technological applications in material science and molecular medicine.

Watch Professor Knowles discuss his research

Take a tour of the Sir Rodney Sweetnam laboratory

Publications

Inside Back Cover: Nucleation and Growth of Amino Acid and Peptide Supramolecular Polymers through Liquid–Liquid Phase Separation (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 50/2019)
C Yuan, A Levin, W Chen, R Xing, Q Zou, TW Herling, PK Challa, TPJ Knowles, X Yan
– Angewandte Chemie International Edition
(2019)
58,
18297
(doi: 10.1002/anie.201913848)
Dynamics and Control of Peptide Self-Assembly and Aggregation.
G Meisl, TCT Michaels, P Arosio, M Vendruscolo, CM Dobson, TPJ Knowles
– Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
(2019)
1174,
1
(doi: 10.1007/978-981-13-9791-2_1)
Protein Microgels from Amyloid Fibril Networks.
LWY Roode, U Shimanovich, S Wu, S Perrett, TPJ Knowles
– Adv Exp Med Biol
(2019)
1174,
223
(doi: 10.1007/978-981-13-9791-2_7)
Innenrücktitelbild: Nucleation and Growth of Amino Acid and Peptide Supramolecular Polymers through Liquid–Liquid Phase Separation (Angew. Chem. 50/2019)
C Yuan, A Levin, W Chen, R Xing, Q Zou, TW Herling, PK Challa, TPJ Knowles, X Yan
– Angewandte Chemie
(2019)
131,
18463
(doi: 10.1002/ange.201913848)
Nucleation and Growth of Amino Acid and Peptide Supramolecular Polymers through Liquid–Liquid Phase Separation
C Yuan, A Levin, W Chen, R Xing, Q Zou, TW Herling, PK Challa, TPJ Knowles, X Yan
– Angewandte Chemie
(2019)
131,
18284
(doi: 10.1002/ange.201911782)
Nucleation and Growth of Amino Acid and Peptide Supramolecular Polymers through Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation.
C Yuan, A Levin, W Chen, R Xing, Q Zou, TW Herling, PK Challa, TPJ Knowles, X Yan
– Angew Chem Int Ed Engl
(2019)
58,
18116
(doi: 10.1002/anie.201911782)
Top-down proteomics on a microfluidic platform
Y Zhang, MA Wright, PK Challa, K-L Saar, S Devenish, Q Peter, TPJ Knowles
(2019)
(doi: 10.48550/arxiv.1910.11861)
Controllable coacervation of recombinantly produced spider silk protein using kosmotropic salts
P Mohammadi, C Jonkergouw, G Beaune, P Engelhardt, A Kamada, JVI Timonen, TPJ Knowles, M Penttila, MB Linder
– J Colloid Interface Sci
(2019)
560,
149
(doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2019.10.058)
Modulating the Mechanical Performance of Macroscale Fibers through Shear‐Induced Alignment and Assembly of Protein Nanofibrils
A Kamada, A Levin, Z Toprakcioglu, Y Shen, V Lutz-Bueno, KN Baumann, P Mohammadi, MB Linder, R Mezzenga, TPJ Knowles
– Small
(2019)
16,
e1904190
(doi: 10.1002/smll.201904190)
Autoantibodies against the prion protein in individuals with PRNP mutations
K Frontzek, M Carta, M Losa, M Epskamp, G Meisl, A Anane, J-P Brandel, U Camenisch, J Castilla, S Haïk, T Knowles, E Lindner, A Lutterotti, EV Minikel, I Roiter, J Safar, R Sanchez-Valle, D Žáková, S Hornemann, A Aguzzi
– medRxiv
(2019)
19007773
(doi: 10.1101/19007773)
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Research Groups

Research Interest Groups

Telephone number

01223 336344

Email address

tpjk2@cam.ac.uk

College

St John's College

    Study at Cambridge

    About the University

    Research at Cambridge